


Before We Ache

by The_Malevolent_Mountain_Queen



Category: The Bright Sessions (Podcast)
Genre: Altered Mental States, Anesthesia, Kissing, M/M, Shirtlessness, altered consciousness, i love caleb and adam so much it's ridiculous, necking, pls just let them be happy, random pointless fluff, wrote this on a four-hour plane ride
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-11 15:30:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16478171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Malevolent_Mountain_Queen/pseuds/The_Malevolent_Mountain_Queen
Summary: Adam needs picked up from the dentist after having his wisdom teeth removed. Caleb is obviously the man for the job... Or is he?{Takes place approximately one week before the third season finale.}





	Before We Ache

Poor Adam. His jaw was probably killing him right now. 

 Caleb veered into the parking lot and unbuckled his seatbelt, trying to breathe evenly through his teeth. He could feel what seemed like miles of pain and anxiety bleeding through the small building. 

It was hard enough going to the dentist on his own—putting aside the fact that it was awkward as all shit, he was tired after every visit thanks to the stress from all of the other patients’ appointments. Walls meant nothing to begin with when it came to how close or far he could feel people with his ability, but it didn’t stop him from wishing they did.  
But now Adam was in the mix. Adam who, at this point, he could feel so much easier than everyone else, and he could locate from any direction in a crowd. Adam, who he loved so much that he could be at a graduation ceremony and still feel his sadness if present. Adam, whose feelings affected him more than anyone else’s in the entire world so far.  
And they were filling him with holes and anesthesia.  
Okay, well, like... that sounded dramatic. It wasn’t like they were sporadically punching holes in his skin. Just, you know, pulling wisdom teeth. Wisdom teeth that were deeply rooted under his gums for some bizarre reason that Caleb should have probably asked more about.  
But he knew Adam would be in pain. And even though emotional pain was worse than anything physical, physical pain lead to emotional if the person became too consumed by it. And Adam, although loved to death by his boyfriend, was so easily consumed by himself that it scared Caleb sometimes.  
Fuck it. No more stalling. Adam was weak and hurt, and there was no excuse to be waiting any longer.  
After locking the car, Caleb trudged up the three steps that lead to the front door, hands in his pockets.  
Opening the door to places always gave him a whiplash of feelings. Even though physical barriers held back nothing when it came to emotional turmoil, it still felt different. Just like how sound and indoor lighting amplified, it was the same with emotions, sort of. Or maybe he just had faces to connect the feelings to, and it was more of a placebo-effect-thingy.  
He became hyperaware of his shaking, frost-blistered knuckles all of a sudden when he reached for the handle. Would he be able to handle it? Stupid question. He was already there. But for how long before he literally went batshit from the subtle chaos shrieking behind the eyes of every customer?  
He took a second to admire himself for thinking of something so poetic. He’d have to write it down somewhere in the waiting room. But he knew Adam would scold him for the misuse of “literally” for the eightieth time.  
He swung open the door with a little too much confidence, and greeted his temporary hell.

 

 

 

  
“Heeeeeyyyyy. Caleb!”  
Caleb jerked in his seat after waiting for nearly an hour, which made him realize how ridiculously sweaty he was. “Adam?”  
Adam had smoked pot once or twice before, Caleb knew, just to study the effects it had on his body and if it eased his depression and stuff. It didn’t help as much as Adam had hoped, which grew a streamline of bitter disappointment from the chasm of his bones the next day.  
But he wasn’t around for the experience itself, which Adam had done intentionally—after the whole brownie incident at the party, they both knew better than to let Caleb anywhere near drugs again.  
But this was different. Adam was high as a kite, definitely, but weed felt more like sitting underwater with weights attached to your belt. This was like... floating up to the surface over and over again.  
“How are you feeling?”  
Adam’s eyes were so dilated that they looked like pools of ink sloshing around in bright blue bowls. That combined with the muffled replies thanks to the enormous white cloth in his mouth made it almost feel like they were on another planet. “Caleb, you’re great, you know that? Showin’ up here, like some damn Superman.”  
Oh no. Oh god, no. “Adam, I just realized something.”  
“What?” He walked closer and slowly touched Caleb’s nose, grinning. “What did you realize, Caleb? I realize things all the time, lol. What’s yours?”  
Wow. He actually said, ‘Lol.’ Like they were in 2009. “We need to talk about it outside. Come with me.”  
“But Caaaaleeeeeb, they haven’t picked out which teeth yet!”  
“What?” He could feel the room begin to spin. Up... up...  
“They haven’t picked which ones. To just, you know. Fuckin’ yank ‘em out! Just like that! Just rip ‘em out and put them in the shredder.”  
He didn’t think this through at all. Fuck. He lowered his voice. “Adam, your anesthesia is rubbing off on me. My ability? I can’t believe we didn’t think about this before.”  
Adam moved his finger down to Caleb’s lips. “Shh! Sh-shu-shu-shut up. You don’t have to think about that right now. That’s hard stuff. That’s for the smart Adam to handle. I’m tired and happy and just want to be with you now.”  
“Okay, yeah, we can do that.” Caleb could hear himself become more giggly. “But first, we need to go ho... Oh shit.”

“Wha...?”

“Outside. Now. Come on.” He slipped his hand in with Adam’s and led him to the exit with pretty much no effort at all.

 Adam turned back to the receptionists. “Byeeeee! Thank you. I’m gay. Lol, I’m gay!”

 “We know, Adam. So am I,” said the woman with the curly brown hair and pink jacket, not even looking up as she stapled a group of papers and waved back. “Be safe, now.”

 Caleb hurried them outside and shut the door with just a tad too much force. “Adam, listen to me. My ability is making me high because _you’re_ high!”

 Adam gave a small half-laugh and leaned his head against Caleb’s shoulder. “Cool.”

“No, not cool! I was supposed to drive you home. I don’t know if you remember me telling you a week ago that I would pick you up, but you knew before they drugged you. Also, you texted me weird gibberish, like, ten minutes before you got out, so I don’t know what you were thinking then—"

 “That’s gay talk for ‘I love you,’ silly-goose.”

Caleb’s heart melted. Adam was too far gone to take anything seriously, and it wasn’t like he could do anything about it, either. But Caleb could feel his own rational thought slipping away faster every minute, and a part of him just wanted to give up and play patty-cake with his boyfriend in one of the empty parking spots. He fought the urge with everything he had and found his mom’s contact, hitting the call button.  
The ringing felt like forever.  
“Hello?”  
“Mom, I’m high.”  
“What?” she said from the other end.  
“I’m sorry. It wasn’t weed this time.”  
" _What?"_  
“Wait, no, that’s not what I meant!” He burst into laughter.  
“Caleb, where are you?”  
“I’m at the... the store! The tooth store! The... Fuck, what was it called?”  
“Honey, I was going to remind you not to pick up Adam from the dentist this morning.”  
“Nah, no you weren’t...”  
“Yes, I was. I meant to tell you that your dad was going to get Adam instead, but I was rushing around because I was running late for an errand... God, I’m sorry.”  
“No, no, it’s... Isss fine, Mom. I love you.”  
“I love you too. I just got off early twenty minutes ago, so please stay where you are, and I’ll come get you and Adam, okay?”  
Caleb nodded.  
“Okay? Caleb?”  
“I said yeah!”  
“Okay. You’re still in the front part of the dentist’s, right?”  
“The dentist’s, that’s what it was called! See? You’re so smart, Mom.”  
She laughed hysterically. “I’ll see you in a few minutes, okay?”  
“Okay. I love you.”  
“I love you, too, sweetheart.”

 

 

 

  
Caleb’s mom was in tears laughing when she pulled up to the lot. Probably because he and Adam were sitting on the curb yelling the first two lines of _She’ll Be Coming Around The Mountain When She Comes_ repeatedly. “Get in the car, you goofballs!”  
Adam faceplanted into the backseat window and slapped his hands all over the SUV. “Where’s the handle? Am I too short? Fuck, I’m too short, Caleb! What am I going to do? I’ll be mistaken for a kid at Yale!”  
Caleb snorted. “You are a kid at Yale.”  
Adam began sinking to his knees on the ground, crying. “I’m a kid at Yale!”  
Caleb rushed over to his side like a worried puppy. “No, no, hey, don’t be sad. It’s cute! You’re smart. You’re so smart, and everything’s going to be so jealous of you there. You’ll be, like, the king of nerds.”  
“The king of nerds!” cried out Adam exasperatedly. Caleb could no longer tell if Adam was sobbing or laughing, and their emotions were almost impossible for him to identify.  
Mrs. Michaels pinched the bridge of her nose, amused tears streaming down her face as she shook with chuckles.  
“Mom, tell Adam he’s the king of nerds. I think he likes it.”  
“Yeah, Miss M! Tell me I’m the king of nerds. The kingiest nerd.” He leaned in closer to Caleb and bit his ear. “The _kink_ iest nerd.”  
Mrs. Michaels was covering her whole face now, which Caleb could guess was bright red. “Move out of the way, boys. I need to open the door for you, apparently.”  
“Yes! Yes! She’s saving the day, Caleb! She’s Supermom! With Superson!”  
“Go, Mom! Go, Mom!”  
Adam joined in, and she pulled the door open with a small pop.  
“Yes! You’re the besssst!” Caleb lifted up Adam bridal-style and set him gently into the other side of the backseat.  
“I try. Now buckle up, you two. We don’t want anyone flying out the window.” She keyed the ignition, and the heaters revved up full-blast.  
“I dunno.” Adam cartoonishly stroked his chin. “Might be fun. I’m so skinny, I could probably make a good flag. Just flapping away in the air. Ooh, or, Caleb! Since you’re my superhero, I could be your cape. It’d be perfect.” He clicked in his seatbelt after missing the first few times, sinking down into the chair, and mumbled, “A symbiotic relationship.”  
They started down the road, and their connection was becoming so strong that Caleb wondered if he was going to pass out. It was the most euphoric thing he had ever felt, and it wasn’t at all the bad kind of high he’d experienced at high school parties. The corners of his vision were fuzzy, and an aura of pungent sweetness swam around his body. Was it Adam’s cologne? Did he even wear cologne anymore? He quit bothering to think about it. He just wanted to stare at Adam until they both grew old.

Colors began to flush away, suddenly. They were all on Adam, and everything else had been sucked dry until the world was just a faint blur of smoke. Caleb’s face was cold, and he sucked in a breath. He wanted to be alone with Adam. To do beautiful, powerful, unforgettable things to him. To make him feel the way Caleb did now, if he didn’t already. 

Caleb suddenly got an idea. A wonderful, terrible idea. He leaned in near Adam and whispered, “What if we did something fun?”

 “Like what?”

“Liiiiiiike... this!” Caleb began trailing kisses down Adam’s neck, making him giggle.

 “That tickles!”

 Adam’s rush of infinite passion added to the mix, and Caleb didn’t think he would ever be able to stop smiling.

 “We’re home, boys!” called Mrs. Michaels from the driver’s seat.

 “Home?” they asked in unison.

“Which home?” said Caleb.  
“What’s the difference when I’m with you?” answered Adam.  
“Awwwww. Mom, did you hear what he said? He’s smart _and_ cute! Isn’t he great?”  
A bright, warm smile grew on her face. “He’s... awesome, Caleb. Now come inside, both of you. You’re going to freeze out here.”  
They both stared at her, equally confused.  
She rolled her eyes. “And your dad’s making cookies.”  
“Cookiiiiiieeeesss!” they shouted, racing each other to the back door. Caleb tripped over Adam seconds later, and they plunged into what felt like four feet of snow, cackling in each other’s arms.  
“Okay, I’m just going to head inside, and I’ll check up on you guys in, like, twenty minutes? Don’t get too cold.” And with that, Mrs. Michaels gently shut the door behind her.  
“Now for that thing we were up to before the... other thing.”  
“Veryyy descriptive, Caleb.”  
“Shut up!” Caleb held Adam in a tight bearhug and began applying harder pressure to his neck than before. Adam must have taken that as a queue to crawl up inside Caleb’s jacket until his head popped out the other side. The kisses were sloppy, and they continued to miss lip contact for at least two minutes, but it was heaven.  
They laid in silence for what felt like an hour before Alice swung open the door. “Hey, are you lovebirds dead?”  
“No,” they groaned.  
Caleb felt his back stiffen against the frozen dirt. “Not yet.”  
“Did you forget about the cookies? I’ve eaten four of them already!”  
They perked up and followed her inside, Adam still under Caleb’s letterman.

 

 

 

 

  
Caleb woke to the sound of mechanical humming, and he was covered in a layer of warmth. A wet washcloth was gently dabbing his forehead.  
“Mom?”  
“Oh, you’re up. Good. You’ve been out cold for almost four hours. I know you probably don’t have a fever from being outside for just half an hour, but I wanted to be on the safe side since you were feeling warm.”  
“Where’s Adam?”  
“In the kitchen with your dad. They’re getting into this heated debate about pumpkin-flavored dishes.”  
“Is he...? Are we still...?”  
Mrs. Michaels shook her head. “It wore off a little while ago. But I do want to warn you, he’s in a lot of pain. I don’t know if your—um—ability will be able to catch that, but—!”  
“Prolly, but... it’s okay. I just want to see him.”  
She smiled. “What else is new?“  
As Caleb made his way to the kitchen, he could already tell he was entering dangerous territory.  
“No, pumpkin spice—ow—is not conducive to every good holiday recipe. It just makes everything taste the same! That’s why there’s cocoa! Mint! Eggnog! There are so many different types of holiday flavoring! Just picking one is asking for imminent death for any business!”  
“Then how do you explain Starbucks? The only thing they ever crank out is that same PSL every year, and everyone flocks to it like it’s the end of the word. I love them, and I don’t even like coffee!”  
“Everyone flocks to Starbucks no matter what time of year. It’s in constant demand! Cakes, however, I’ve found, are much more—ow—far and few in between when it comes to satisfactory taste. You can’t get away with making a pumpkin spice cake with a plain vanilla base and expect it to boom in the same way that a PSL would! That’s just—not how it... Caleb! Caleb, please explain to your father that—!”  
Caleb put his hands up in surrender. “There’s no way in hell I’m getting caught in the middle of this. You dug this grave, Adam.”  
“Caleb, oh my god. It’s too late for Halloween puns.”  
“I wasn’t trying to make a pun! I’m just saying. It’s your fault for still living in that spoop mentality.”  
Mr. Michaels leaned against the kitchen counter and folded his arms. “What is it with kids saying that nowadays? ‘Spoopy’ instead of ‘spooky.’ I don’t get it. Is it a Tumblr thing?”  
“...We don’t talk about Tumblr,” mumbled Adam as Caleb burst into laughter.  
Mr. Michaels remained in the dark. “Why not? From what I’ve heard, it’s something you’d really find joy in, Adam.”  
Adam put his face in his hands. “No, that’s not what I—“  
“He has a Tumblr, Dad. He’s obsessed with it.”

“That’s not even fair!” Adam pulled down his beanie until his eyes were out of view. “At least it involves a ton of reading.” 

“And Kermit the Frog memes.”

Mr. Michaels un-slouched and grinned. “They have memes about Kermit the Frog?”

Caleb froze. “Oh god, what have I done?”

Adam shook his head and put a hand on Caleb’s shoulder. “Well, well, well. Look who’s digging graves now?”

 

 

 

 

 

After seven cups of hot chocolate and tiny marshmallows, Caleb lugged himself to the same couch he woke up from and sat square in the middle, spreading his legs as wide as his jeans would allow. His stomach hurt, but it was worth it. 

His parents were out on a date night, and Alice was at a friend’s house until tomorrow afternoon, so he had the whole place to himself, which was rare.  
Adam padded into the living room, hands in his oversized sweater pocket, and stood in silence.  
“The fuck?” Caleb mumbled, barely able to keep his eyes open, laughing to himself. “You’re still here?”  
“Your mom didn’t tell you? I’m staying over. She said you weren’t feeling well, so I... volunteered to keep you company while they went out tonight.”  
“And they were fine with that? You... being over? With me? Alone?”  
Adam laughed, and a stream of excitement flowed and sparkled through Caleb’s ribcage. “Yeah. I don’t think they thought much of it. They were rushing around to get ready for some dinner event thing.”  
“Oh yeah, Dad’s meeting his new editor! Fuck, how did I forget?”  
Adam shrugged. “You don’t need to beat yourself up about it. I mean, we... both had a pretty long day.”  
“Yeah, you can say that again. Do you remember anything that happened when we were... like that?”  
“Bits and pieces, but not a whole lot. I do remember you kissing my neck, though. Twice.”  
Caleb covered his face and cringed so hard it felt like his own teeth were going to fall out. “Oh my god. Did anyone see?”  
Adam’s eyes darted to the left and started his sentence with a high-pitched, “Uhhhh....” He bit his bottom lip and turned down to face his socks. “Just your mom. And Alice, the second time.”  
“Fffffuck!”  
“It’s okay, Caleb. Everyone knew we were high as balls. No one cared.”  
“Mmnnn... I hope not.”  
“Maybe you can make up for it by taking advantage of this ten-hour alone-time we have on our hands right now.”  
“I’m pretty tired, Adam.”  
“And that’s... okay. It’s totally fine. I just meant, like, something more... casual.”  
Caleb’s heart pounded, despite him sitting perfectly still. “Be my guest, I... guess. I just don’t know if I’ll be able to move after my seven cups of—“  
“Seven cups? Are you kidding me?”  
“I was thirsty.” Caleb snorted by mistake and covered his mouth, wanting to disappear suddenly.  
“God, you’re adorable.” Adam approached the couch and managed to curl up into Caleb’s lap, stretching himself to gently bite his ear and play with his hair. Caleb didn’t bother to fight it.  
And then he remembered something from the car ride. “Adam, I don’t know what the hell was in the drugs they gave you, but it fucked me up so badly.”  
“I’m sorry.”  
“No, not like that! Like... it felt good. Crazy good. It’s probably why I was in the whole...”  
“The whole necking mood?”  
“Shut up!” he lightly tapped Adam in the face with one of the cushion pillows, which made him giggle again.  
“But what do you mean?”  
“Like... the whole world just disappeared, and all I could feel or think of was you.”  
Adam grinned and rested his head against Caleb’s chest. “That’s the sweetest thing ever. I think I might need to go to the dentist again for all of these new cavities you just gave me.”  
“Please, no.” They both laughed again.  
“Can you take off your shirt?”  
“...What?”  
Adam hugged him tighter until Caleb could feel his heartbeat. “If it’s okay with you. I know I’m coming off a little strong, but... I don’t know. I just want to.”  
“No, yeah, of course. I just... It just surprised me.”  
“Was it a good surprise?”  
“Uh... yeah. Really good. Um.” Caleb removed his letterman and was about to do the same for the plain white t-shirt when Adam stopped him with his hands and slowly reached underneath and weaved his thumbs around Caleb’s four-pack.  
“You’re ridiculously ripped, you know that? Give me two of your abs, Caleb. It’s not fair.”  
“Whatever. Your tummy’s cuter.”  
“Is not! I’m like a potato with arms.”  
“...A cute potato with arms.”  
“Oh my god.”  
“Can I take off my shirt now?”  
“Please.”  
“Wow, okay. Someone’s demanding today.” He slipped it off and did the same with Adam’s sweatshirt.  
“It’s not my fault! You can’t just leave the local emo kid on like that.”  
“You’re right, you’re right. I should have known better.”  
When their lips finally met, Adam’s tongue softly enticed the roof of Caleb’s mouth. Their feelings locked together, and a soft burning sensation feened between their bodies.  
Caleb could barely breathe. He had wanted this again for so long. He slid his hand to the small of Adam’s back and held him down to the cushions, laying his love into him in every way he could without stripping any further.

“I love you, Caleb.” Adam was losing his grip on time, and Caleb could feel it. 

 He gave in completely this time, letting their emotions consume them. “I love you, too.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“So, therapy, huh?” Adam scooted farther under the blanket and grabbed another handful of popcorn.

 “Yeah. I know football’s been kinda my thing, but... I think I could really help people, you know?”

 “Totally. It’s... a great thing for you to be doing, Caleb.”

 “Yeah, thanks.”

“Is is what you want to do, though? I mean, superhero duties aside, is it what’s going to make you happy?”

“I think it is. Not just because making other people happy literally makes me happy, but... the thought of other atypicals suffering like I did... not knowing what the hell is wrong with them, that fear and anger and helplessness. I can’t imagine anyone else going through that, especially alone. I was lucky to find Doctor Bright, but... I’m not sure how many other people will be. Lucky, I mean.”  
“You want to be an atypical therapist specifically?”  
“I don’t know. Maybe. It’d be hell of a lot less complicated to just help normal people or whatever, and it would be easier to. So I’m kind of torn in the middle.”  
“Why not both?”  
“You think they’d let me do that?”  
“I don’t see why not.”  
“That’d be perfect." He planted a kiss on Adam's forehead. "Almost as perfect as you.”  
“Jesus, Caleb. Could we  _be_ a sappier couple?”  
“No. But I’m not complaining.” Caleb pushed the power button on the remote and clapped the lights off.  
“You don’t want to finish the game?”  
“Not really. You’re exhausted.”  
“Yeah, but... I can stay up later if you really want to.”  
“I don’t. I just want to fall asleep.”  
“Don’t you think it’s going to be weird when your parents come home and see us sleeping together shirtless?”  
“Uh... Yeah, actually. Let’s go upstairs.”  
“You’re going to have to carry me, Caleb. My spoons for the day are gone.”  
“Oh no, the horror. I have to carry my boyfriend up the stairs to my bedroom. Dork.”  
“Meathead.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> For anyone who's wondering, yes, that reference to the pot brownies was from that one fic about Caleb accidentally inhaling several edibles and begging Adam to take him to Taco Bell. Not mine, but once I read it, I thought it was so funny that I had to accept the headcanon. I'll link it in this exact note when I find it because those who haven't read it need to immediately.
> 
> EDIT: Here is is!: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9921872


End file.
